“Yo.” A man with shaggy blonde hair and wearing a blue plaid shirt slapped Ian on the back playfully.

“You sure you should approach me so casually right now, Rob?” He responded without looking back at him.

“Why wouldn't I?”

“Just take a look around.” Rob furrowed his brow and scanned the long hallway. Everyone present gradually stopped what they were doing and silently watched the two men as they walked. Occasionally, a sliding door would be pushed slightly open, and restless eyes would peak out as discretely as possible. “Well, sure, you're the talk of the town right now. It's not every day that someone carries the most feared woman on the planet into the base without notifying the higher ups first. She's on the same side as us, though, isn't she?”

“They don't see her that way.”

“I can't say I blame them but I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Doesn't the commander know that girl personally? Does that not bring the others some peace?”

“Apparently not. Is it really that surprising? Regardless of her affiliation, they're still terrified of her. If she decided right here and now that destroying the Resistance would be beneficial towards her end goals, we'd be powerless to stop her.”

“Especially now that you've not only brought her into the heart of our headquarters but gave her a temporary lodging to recover. Is that what you're thinking?”

“That's a pretty good summary if nothing else.”

“Are you on your way to visit her now?”

“Yeah. It's nearing nightfall, so she should be awake or waking up.”

“Think she'll mind if I accompany you? I'm curious to see what the wolf at the centre of all those stories is like. I just hope she doesn't realize I'll be shaking in my boots the whole time.”

“Hm. As long as you don't do anything to piss her off.”

“Don't worry. I'll be a patron saint while I'm in there.”

“That'll just piss her off the most. Just be you but keep it in moderation. We're here.” They both stopped in front of an unassuming steel door. The plaque beside it was worn out and any text that might have been on it was rubbed off. As Ian reached for the handle, a warm breeze tickled his skin through the cracks. He backed away and turned to Rob, “I think it would be best if you head in first.”

“Why's that?” He replied but knocked without waiting for an answer. “Room service!” He hollered jokingly and slid the door open. He recoiled as something large, thin and metal crashed into his nose while blocking his vision. It fell to the floor with a clang and Rob barked, “What the hell was that?”

“A bucket.” Ian responded dryly then stepped inside. “I wasn't sure if you were aiming for me or not.”

Luna sat on the side of a rusted hospital bed, the mattress devoid of a cover. She returned her hand from just in front of her back to gently on her lap and scoffed. “I thought about it, but in the end, I wasn't sure whose bright idea it was to give me these.” She stood up and pulled at the orange track pants she was wearing then with a slight blush, pointed at her exposed torso. The only garb covering her was a long white bandage wrapped several times around her chest, concealing her breasts.

“It couldn't be helped.” Ian shrugged his shoulders. “We're already limited on resources and it was hard enough for me to convince everyone to let me bring you in here at all.”

“Oi.” Rob let out a low growl and shot Ian a dirty look with a crooked smile. “You let me in first knowing that she was getting ready to throw something?”

“It's your own fault for not questioning it.”

“You...” Rob fell quiet then turned his attention to Luna. “So you're the infamous... Sinner's...”

Luna blinked at him and tilted her head. “Are you having a stroke?”

He waved his hands and stammered, “No, no. It's just that in all the reports I've read about you, I don't think any of them have ever mentioned that you only have one arm.”

“Oh, that.” Luna balanced her chin in her palm and yawned. “That's only true some of the time.”

“Some of the time?”

“You'll figure it out eventually.” Ian interrupted. “More importantly,” he poked at an aluminum cafeteria tray that was littered with crumbs. “Did you actually eat this?” Luna stayed quiet and looked away from him. He sighed, grabbed both of her cheeks, and began pulling in opposite directions. As she repeatedly gave her protests of pain, he furiously explained, “Stop skipping meals and stop throwing them away! Just because you are able to survive on less doesn't mean you should. Realistically you should be eating more than both Grian and I combined.” He then released her and continued as she massaged her face. “With mom gone, you're the one that Grian's been looking up to as a role model. What if she starts taking up these bad habits of yours?”

Luna pouted, “I didn't throw it away, I just put it to better use.” Then stuck her tongue out at him.

“You... You're either the bravest man I've ever known,” Luna and Ian both looked towards the doorway where Rob was poking his head out from the other side, white as a sheet. “Or the dumbest.” He snapped a finger at Luna and cried, “She wiped out an entire battalion this morning like it was nothing, and you granny her cheeks? You just told me on the way over here not to do anything to piss her off! Step-siblings or not, that was way too risky and you know it.”

“What's he blabbering about?” Luna inquired.

“He's probably confused because Grian refers to you as 'sis' instead of by name.” Ian theorized.

Rob relaxed a little bit. “You're not, then?”

“Grian's a fox, I'm a wolf.” Luna stated. “Our 'animal' isn't randomly decided at birth. Fox types birth fox types, wolf types birth wolf types. Grian just thinks of me as her sister.”

“Doesn't that make Ian's actions more dangerous than? Everyone says that you hate humans.”

“He's an exception.” Luna shot him a mocking glance, “I think of him as an ape more than anything else.”

Ian let out a sinister chuckle. “I was thinking about getting you an orange Popsicle later, but not after that comment.”

“Wh-” Luna jumped onto her feet. “That's a low blow!” She crossed her arms, looked away, pouted, and mumbled, “You win. Forget I said anything.”

“You two sure are close, huh?” Rob hesitantly whistled in amazement and cautiously re-entered the chamber.

“Before we get distracted by anything else,” Ian cleared his throat and focused on Luna again. “The commander, Roy, asked me to bring you to the strategy room after you woke up.”

“Roy?” She echoed and gazed out the nearest window. “I guess I have some time before the moon rises. I can catch up for a bit.” Luna slowly got onto her feet and stretched in place. In a strained voice, almost like a moan, she inquired, “Where are we anyway?” She then relaxed and strolled to the door without waiting for an answer.

Ian followed while Rob stayed right on his heels, refusing to walk beside him. Ian furrowed his brow but otherwise ignored him. “You remember that old, abandoned hospital that you torched?”

“The one that was filled with brainwashed kids trying to kill me?”

Come again? Rob thought to himself but stayed silent.

“That's the one.” Ian responded.

“Eh?” Luna stopped at the closest window and pressed her forearm into the glass. “It's been a while, but I suppose I do recognize the surrounding area a little bit.”

“Recognize it?” Rob muttered. “It's all trees around this place. The building itself is the only notable landmark.”

“Maybe it appears that way to a human.” Luna yawned and continued onward. “It's a bit ironic though, don't you think?”

“That you're recovering in the same building used as a training ground for people meant to kill you?” Ian guessed.

“That too.” Luna shrugged her shoulders. “I'm recovering in the same building where I turned Ryan's arm into hamburger.”

Ian squinted. “This is the first time I'm hearing of this.”

“You never brought up anything relevant until now.”

Rob poked Ian in the back and in a hushed tone, asked, “Who's Ryan?”

“Hm.” Ian pondered for several long seconds, watching Luna carefully for some change in her posture. Confident that she was hellbent on holding a poker face, he relented. “He was her boyfriend, last I heard. Granted, this is the first time in five years that she's talked about him. Come to think of it, the most recent time I even saw him was the afternoon before Luna stormed this place.”

“What did she do with these 'brainwashed' kids?”

“I killed them.” Luna called out from ahead without slowing down.

Rob halted. “You killed them?”

“That's what I said.”

“They were just kids; they were harmless. Why would you kill them?”

Luna stopped. “Are you one of those types of people?” She growled and peered at him over her left shoulder.

“What-” He stammered and froze. Luna's silver hair parted, revealing the half of her face she'd kept hidden. A chill ran down Rob's spine and his entire body felt like it had been stuffed with ice cubes. Despite that, his flesh felt like it was melting away, as though he had been submerged in a cauldron of boiling water. His breaths grew shallow as his throat seemed to close in on itself. His knees shook violently and buckets' worth of sweat-soaked his clothes and pooled at his feet.

He felt her fingers grasp his chin, felt her forehead press into his before he even saw her move. No matter how much he willed it, his eyes refused to shut. He felt as though his soul itself was being sucked into the black hole of her left eye, winding and screaming, being ripped to shreds and thrashed about like a box full of glass ornaments at an amusement park. “Are you one of those weaklings who bind themselves, blindly clinging to the illusion of morality? Are you one of those people who justify your shortcomings by calling it, 'doing the right thing'?” Her words spoke directly into his mind, reacting like a tidal wave shattering every corner of his skull with each syllable. His brain felt like it had been replaced by a swarm of rats trying to escape; their every squeak was a deafening scream that made his ears bleed. “When a mosquito bites you, do you let it go? Do you acknowledge that it's trying to survive? Do you swat it for daring to attack you, for attempting to steal what's yours? Do you kill it?”

Everything began to fade to black. Rob felt his tight grip around Luna's wrist quickly loosening and before long, he couldn't even support his own weight. His knees collapsed but his body refused to fall. Luna's nails, her claws, dug into his skin even further. All of a sudden, his hands hit the polymeric floor and he gasped for air. The screams were replaced by the ambient buzzing of the lights above. He hesitantly looked up at Luna, his vision blurred by a well of tears. Ian held her forearm with one hand and covered her left eye with his other. “You made your point.” He stated calmly.

Luna clicked her tongue and tore herself out of his grasp. She turned and exited down the corridor while Ian knelt down in front of Rob and instructed him, “When you're comfortably able to walk, head down to the infirmary and lay down. Rest for twenty-four hours, forty-eight if you can. Do not, by any means, try and tough this out.” Without another word, Ian quickly left to catch up to Luna.

“Oi.” He called after her.

She didn't respond.

“Oi!” He shouted louder, grabbed her by the shoulder, and forced her to face him. “You know you can't do that shit all willy-nilly.”

Luna kept her gaze focused on his chest and claimed, “It doesn't matter when I do that or who to.”

“Of course it does! The resistance is the only group that openly accepts the existence of demi-humans. What if your actions make them think that demi-humans are devils like the rest of the world does? This is my only means of protecting Grian at the moment.”

“It wouldn't be a problem if you'd just let me take her back to Síochain as I do with everyone else.”

“You already know that she's the one that doesn't want to go until she's saved everyone else. That aside, you still have your personal consequences to worry about.”

“I don't care who considers me their enemy-”

“Not that. I know what your eye, the Ríastrad, does to you. What it does to your mind and body. Look at your arm, or lack thereof. What would Stella and Aileen-”

“Don't!” Luna snapped and clenched her fist tight enough to crack her knuckles. “Don't...” She whispered softly and turned her back to him. “Aren't I supposed to be meeting Roy?” She asked with a slight quake in her voice.

Ian let out a long breath and let his shoulders drop. “Yeah.” He replied weakly. “He's on the next floor up.”

“Where are the stairs?”

“Through that door. We'll take a left and they'll be at the end of the corridor. Just...” He paused and Luna gave him a sideways glance. “Be careful.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

She squinted but gave no verbal response. She swung one of the steel doors open and walked through with a sigh. “Ah, I see.” She exclaimed and eyed the ranks of onlookers who watched her. Some through slight openings while others stood out in the hallway with strong faces but quivering knees. “I ain't a circus, assholes.” Luna spat.

“Oi.” Ian cautioned her.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. No killing.”

“No killing, no hurting, no threatening.”

“That's boring. Can I at least give them a scare so that they stop looking at me?” She asked unnecessarily loudly.

“Absolutely not.”

Luna glared at him then followed the corridor silently. She kept her gaze straight ahead even as the prying eyes traced every square centimetre of her figure. “Annoying.” She grumbled under her breath. “Once a freak show, always a freak show, is that how it is?”

“I can sympathize but showing restraint now will be much more beneficial in the future. Endure it until after you meet with Roy.”

“Then I can gouge their eyes out? Ow!”

Ian punched her in the top of the head. As she rubbed her scalp she stated, “It was a joke.”

“Of course it was. I get why you hate humans in general but why do you insist on making enemies with nearly all of them?”

“It's less that I'm trying to make enemies and more that I'm preventing them from being allies. I don't share that retarded illusion that trying to save everyone is a just cause. Like that prick from before, preaching that 'they're just kids' bullshit. He can only say that because he wouldn't have been the one at risk if they lived. The majority of you are just self-important twits who don't know the difference between saving everyone and forsaking everyone. You create your own problems just to solve them so you can call yourselves heroes. You all act like you want peace but then go out of your way to create a conflict. You humans are only the embodiment of justice when it can keep you entertained. You're not noble, you're bored. Why the hell would I want bastards like them standing behind me, in a position to shoot me in the back?”

“Well, it's not like I don't see where you're coming from. Even still, these guys might not be your allies, but they are mine and Grian's. Try to stay at least neutral with them, for our sake.”

“If I kill-”

“Luna.”

She gave Ian a sideways glance and let out long breath. “As long as they don't give me trouble, I won't give them trouble. Is that good enough?”

“I suppose it's the best I can ask for.” Ian then began to fidget somewhat awkwardly, sneaking several hesitant peeks at her. “So, about Ryan-”

“Long story. I'll tell you after we finish with Roy.”

“Right. I suppose that's also the best I can ask for.”

“Why do you sound so disappointed?”

Ian looked away, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. “I'm not.”

“You are.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am-”

“Oi, oi, oi, save the married couple act for when you two actually are married.” They were interrupted by a massive hand-clapping them on each shoulder, hard enough that both bent down a touch. “Honestly,” the newcomer laughed while chewing on the end of a cigar. “The two of you can't be in the same room for more than a few seconds before you start bickering over something, can you?”

Luna blinked twice. “Roy?” She inquired and looked up at the man with slicked back, grey hair.

“In the flesh. Were you so caught up in your flirting that you didn't notice me coming up on you?”

“I was just shocked. I had smelled something approaching but I assumed it wasn't you since it didn't make me gag.”

“Ouch.” He recoiled while grinning ear-to-ear. “Your claws aren't the only thing that got sharper, are they?”

“I'm still holding back quite a bit.”

“You're making me self-conscious now.”

“I'm kidding. Still though,” Luna scratched her chin and looked Roy over from head-to-toe. “I'm surprised that the old hobo I once shared stale bread with is now the leader of a resistance and cleaned up so nice. You certainly look more alive.”

“Well, thank you kindly.” Roy then pushed past the two of them while signaling for them to follow. “I'd love to catch up more but my 'higher-up' has demanded I bring you to him as soon as you woke up.”

“Tch.” Luna clicked her tongue. “More pricks to talk to? Who's this guy exactly? I thought you were the commander of this movement.”

“Gregory Jens.” Ian spoke up. “Egocentric character. Pretty sure he was a part of a circus in Germany and wound up getting stuck here after you spooked the world. I don't believe he has a lick of military experience.”

“And he's your higher-up?”

“On paper at least, which is largely just to appease him.” Roy shrugged his shoulders. “Fighting wise, a farmer would probably be a better choice but this guy is charismatic so he can rally a lot of support. I still handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes, combat-oriented stuff while he controls the political side of things. He doesn't actually have a title though because he keeps changing it.”

“First he wanted to be called the general, then it was the supreme commander, then chief...” Ian took over. “Among the ranks, the only one that's really stuck is the 'Wunder Blunder'.”

“That doesn't make him sound reliable.”

“Well, he does his job fairly well. His dramatic tendencies do take some getting used to though. He'll probably put on a good face when he meets you, but his petty side might come out if and when he gets worked up.”

Luna canted her head and with her eyes half-closed she asked, “So his goal is to try and recruit me? Is he not scared of me like the rest of them?”

“I don't think he's smart enough to be frightened by anything.” Ian muttered.

“Judging by the look on your face, it looks like you already have your answer.” Roy commented.

“I'll give him fifteen seconds to convince me.”

“That's generous of you.” Roy exclaimed sarcastically and stopped in front of a purple curtain. “After you.” He then pushed it aside, opening up into a fairly bare room save for a plastic folding table in the middle of the tiled floor and several rusty chairs.

“Not exactly the high tech command centres you see on television, is it?” Luna whistled.

“We're a resistance with a limited budget.” Ian reminded her.

“With a circus performer for a 'boss'.”

“It's embarrassing enough to admit without someone saying it out loud.”

“The wolf!” someone cried out, proceeded by a series of crashes and bangs. Several chairs like the ones already in the room rolled through a branching doorway as a man with a curled, brown moustache fell face-first right behind them. He quickly picked himself up and sprinted towards Luna without wiping away the blood gushing from his nose. He reached for her but she grabbed one of his arms and threw him over her shoulder, throwing him to the floor again.

Luna squinted at him as he gasped for air. “Surely not...”

“That's him.” Ian confirmed.

“In a Resistance as small as ours, we take what we can get.” Roy chuckled nervously.

Gregory coughed and sputtered as he rolled over. “It's an honour... to meet you... at long last.” Back on his feet, he stretched and extended a hand toward Luna again. “I never imagined such a strong warrior would be so pretty-”

“Touch me and I'll throw you out the window.” Luna barked.

He recoiled but continued without pausing. “-and so young. I'll cut to the chase. I'm sure you've seen the masses of demi-humans parading the streets in iron chains? Such an act of debauchery shan't be tolerated to our fellow living creatures with whom we share our planet-”

“Does he even know what he's talking about?” Luna asked Ian as Gregory talked over her.

“Roy and I tried to tell him the Demi-humans history but he kept interrupting us because his end-goal is only to stop the war long enough for him to go home. Probably felt joining us was safer since the Resistance is neutral with you.”

“-such sinful acts, locking mere children in cages or experimenting on them within those damnable containment camps. I swear on my oath as a freedom fighter, those slave drivers will rue the day-”

“I take back what I said about giving him fifteen seconds.” Luna grumbled.

“Shall we go?” Ian inquired.

“Please.”

“-formally request that you join our ranks to end this rotten farce as soon as possible. I can assure you, you will be given a position respectful of your prowess in combat-”

“Greg...” Roy called out.

“-so that our troops can be of some use to you-”

“Greg...”

“I promise that you will not come to regret joining our cause and will create history with a pen larger than the largest continent-”

“Greg!”

Red in the face, Wunder Blunder tightly shut his eyes and stomped on the ground. “I told you not to disturb my masterfully thought out speeches! How am I supposed to convince her to end this war with you corrupting my message?”

“You're just talking to the wall.”

“Huh?” Greg opened his eyes and rapidly scanned the room.

“They left around the time you started talking about the oath that doesn't actually exist.”

“What?” He clapped his ears and wailed, “My key to going home! Tell me which direction they went, that's an order!”

“He really never shuts up.” Ian complained as the aggressive echo passed them by.

“My faith in these people being able to protect Grian is getting shakier.” Luna exclaimed.

“He's certainly not a great example but we do have some people who are more than a match for other humans. We can handle the police and even the military with the proper preparation but anything above them will likely massacre us.”

“If it ever starts looking shaky...”

“I'll take Grian and we'll make our way to Eolas in the forest. She knows of a way to get into Síochain, right?”

“Make sure they don't track her down because of you in that event.”

“Did you forget who you're talking to?”

“The dumb-ass jock who's so heavy-footed that China could hear him coming from a mile away?”

“You don't have to lay it on so thick...”

“Force of habit.” Luna shrugged with a very slight smirk and gazed out the window once more. “The moon will be coming up any second now. What's the quickest way outside?”

“I hope I'm not only useful as some kind of tour guide.” Ian grumbled. “Follow me.”

* * *

“Every single one of them are so obnoxious with all that staring and shit.” Luna bickered while stretching in front of the seemingly run-down hospital.

“Again, with a reputation-” Ian attempted to respond.

Luna held a hand toward him and without looking, said, “They don't like it when the monsters they created walk the same halls as them, I know.” She then stopped and stared up into the cloudless, night sky. The tip of the moon peeked out over the horizon and she drew a short breath. Ian took a step backward as Luna's body was ensnared in a lime-green blaze, moulding to her limbs. In only a matter of seconds, it dissipated and left Luna donning a midnight outfit.

Ian whistled. “Must be nice, being able to create stuff by solidifying your own magic.”

“It's convenient to say the least.” The same flame then began to smoulder around the base of her shoulder and extended outward. It took the shape of her arm and formed a metal prosthetic. The fingers closed in several times before Luna continued, “Maintaining all of this while also trying to animate this replacement are absolute mana hogs though.”

“The moon dictates your ability to regenerate mana, that's why you waited until now to form everything?”

“Correct.” She then gave him a wave and began to walk away. “Well, I'm off.”

“Hold on a minute.” Luna flinched and slowly turned around, her eyebrows furrowed and her shoulders low. “You still haven't explained what happened to Ryan.”

“Do we really need to talk about that now? We've been talking since I woke up.”

“You've only been up for ten minutes. Fifteen at most.”

“That's still ten or fifteen minutes longer than usual.”

“You can keep it short.”

She sighed and scratched her head. “This is the last thing. Any more questions will have to wait until next time. So,” Luna located the nearest tree stump and sat down. “What do you want to know?”

“What did you mean by turning his arm into hamburger?”

“Pretty much exactly as it sounds. He beat me until I was nearly unconscious, I lost control of this,” She pointed at her left eye, “and when I came to, his arm was shredded. It happened right in the basement of this place. If you look hard enough, you can probably find the resultant bloodstains.”

“Hold, hold, hold, hold.” Ian leaned forward, his mouth hanging open. After a moment of silence, he asked, “He beat you?”

“I'd go into more detail but you told me I could keep it short. No going back on your word.”

“Right.” Ian whispered and rubbed his chin. “Where's Ryan now?”

“Dead.”

“Dead?”

“Dead.”

“Did he bleed out?”

“Nope. I decapitated him a little while later. I think. Maybe I roasted him instead?”

...

...

“Okay, you can't leave it at that. You have to give some more details.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Really short details. We were talking before about how I cooked a bunch of child-assassins here so long ago, yeah? Turns out he worked with that organization to try and support his family. His little brother was also there and was one of the little brats brainwashed to come after me.”

“So you-”

“I gave them a chance.” She interrupted him. “I busted down the door and told them to run away if they wanted to. Some did, some didn't. Those that stayed, that tried to kill me, I slaughtered. Ryan's little brother was one of the ones who stayed. Ryan arrived just as I was finishing up, saw it, and... well...”

“Went into a rage.”

“Not just that. Apparently, he didn't fully trust me yet. He was holding onto some Beast Bane.”

“The flower that's extremely poisonous to demi-humans?”

“That's the one. He pulled that rotten rose out and then went into a violent rage. I didn't kill him though. After I came to, I patched him up as best I could and left. Shortly after, the shit with...” She went quiet.

Ian waved her on. “The shit with my folks happened. A group of police officers got together, beat my parents to death, and tried to frame you for the murder. You don't need to gloss over details for my sake.”

Luna nodded. “After all that, he came back. He determined that I was evil incarnate and tried to kill me. To keep him from trying a third time, I put him down.”

“I had no idea any of that happened.” Ian mumbled.

“I didn't think you needed to know.” Luna stated and looked away. “I figured you probably had enough on your plate trying to take care of Grian and find yourselves a new home.” She then jumped up onto her feet. “I'm going before things start getting too sappy or emotional.” After a few steps she stopped again and peaked at Ian over her shoulder. “What's the weather supposed to be like tomorrow, do you know?”

“Sunny, I think. Why?”

“Good.” She began walking again and called back to him, “If these guys will still take you seriously, tell them to bring an umbrella if they go out tomorrow morning. Oh, tell them to stay away from Grian's school as well.”

“What are you planning on doing?”

“Hunting sinners.” She declared and vanished into the shadows.

“An umbrella for the sun?” Ian thought aloud and shook his head.

* * *

“Welcome back.” Grian yawned as Ian sat down beside her. “Did you ask her out yet?”

“Our conversation was kept mostly business-related, I'll have you know.”

“Sure, sure. Inquiring about her ex-boyfriend was nothing more than a transaction, right?”

Ian winced. “How'd you know about that?”

“I didn't. Thanks for telling me though.”

“Tch.” His cheeks begin to redden and he cleared his throat. “Enough about that. I should apologize. Luna was in a bit of a hurry so I didn't get around to asking her to come to see you.”

Grian blinked twice. “She came down to see me almost immediately after you left. We didn't talk for very long, but she gave me some extra food that she had.”

So that's what she meant. Ian thought to himself.

“She was also very adamant about the security team that was at the gate yesterday and the prick I got into a fight with. She kept asking who they were, if anyone made any attempt to stop them, stuff like that.”

“I see.”

“Will I be going back there any time soon?”

Ian shook his head. “From what Luna asked you and what she told me, I don't think that school will even exist after tomorrow morning.”